Sprinkler



Nov. 13 1923. HAZ LGM W. H. BAKER SPRINKLER Qriginal Filed April 13,1917 Z llull lllll ll m .2...

F/G. I Z3 J} j/ A m eflfw 1977020216. Baker Patented Nov. l3, l92i3.

stares WILLIAM H. BAKER, or 'ivronrnnan-aonsnc, cannon.

SPRINKLER.

Application filed April 13, 1917, Serial ToaZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, VVILLIAM H. BAKER, 21 citizen ofthe United States ofAmerica, and resident of the city of Montreal, in the .Pr0vince ofQuebec and Dominion of Canada, .have .inventedicertain new and usefulImprovements in Sprinklers, of which the. following is a full, clear,and exactdescription.

This invention relates to improvementsin sprinklers, andthe object is toprovide a simple andefiicient sprinkler, comprising a minimum number ofparts. i I

A further object is to provide a sprinkler, whichwill be quick in actionand will overcome the difficulty of valves sticking part way open.

Thedevice consists briefly of a body, yoke and valve of any suitableconstruction, and a valve holding strut preferably of the duck-billtype. The strut comprises apair of members and a holding lever thereforhaving its long arm buried in one of the strut members. i

In the drawings which illustrate the invention:

Fig. 1 is asideelevation of the sprinkler head, part of the yoke beingbroken away.

Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section of the strut.

Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view of the strut on the-line 3-3, Figure 1.

Fig. 4, is a plan view of the strut, the solder being removed.

Referring inoreparticularly tothe drawings, 11 designatesthe body of asprinkler having a yoke .12, a deflector 13 attached by means of{LISCI'GW .14, which alsoservcs to bind the strut in place. The body isprovided with a valve 15. The end. of the screw 14: and the valve 15 areprovided with conical-101' otherwise suitably shaped depressions 16arranged axially in line, and designed to receive the pointsl? of thestrut members18 and 19. As shownin the drawings, the strut is of theduck-bill. type, the members bearing pivotally on one another at a point20 slightly out of the axial or pressure line of the head, so thatpressure applied to the points 17 tends to separate the extremitiesofthemembers. The free end of the member 18 projects beyond theendiofthe memberll), and inthe projecting portion is providedanelongated aperture 21. The. member19 is provided with a deep groove 22extending from the free end to No. 161,823. Renewed March 31, 1923.

adjacent the point Y17, and from the outer edge nearly through .themember. This groove atits bottom is substantially parallel with theabutting edges of the .members, so that owing to the roughly triangularformation of the member 19, the groove deepens from the free end towardthelfixed end of the member. A holding lever 23is provided having thelong arm 24- thereof lying in the i groove 22, and having the short arm25 thereof offset or hooked so as to pass through the aperture 21 of themember 18 and engagethe remote surface of the member. The aperture 21 isthen filled with solder or other fusible material 26, so asto preventcorrosion of the parts. The groove 22 is also filled with solder orfusible material 27 which holds the long arm of the lever securely inplace and effects a secure connection between the strut members. It willbe readily notedin Figure 2 that the greatest mass of fusible materialis located at the extreme end of the lever,'and that this fusiblematerial is enclosed in the greatest mass of metal of the strut. Theobvious resultis that themetal at the extreme end ofjthe lever arm isthe last to soften, and therefore the lever is entirely freewhen its endis released.

The operation and advantages of the device areapparent. Pressure onthepoints of the strut memberstends to separate the ends thereof. Theholdinglever 23 is fulcrumed at the extremityof themember 19,

and withits shortarm 25 engage's'the extremity of the member 18. Thus,the

separating action ofthemembers tends to swing the long arm 24 of thelever out of the slot 22. 'This movement is resisted by the fusiblematerial 27. On a rise of ten1- perature,;theextremity of the strutwhich projects beyond the head and yoke is naturally the first to heat,as it is most ex posed and as the mass of metal issmall in comparisonwith the inner end. of the strut. Therefore, the fusible material 26melts and flows out, and also material 27 at the outer end of the slot,leaving only the fusible material at the inner end of the slot holdingtlie extremity of the long arm 24.

hen .the tem eratnre of the strut rises sui'liciently, the remainder ofthe material 2"? softens, and as practically the whole length ofthelever islnow free of obstruction, so that the full pressure isexerted on the end, it is obvious that this end will readily tear itselfout of the softened fusible Y trated as of the duck-bill type, it willbe readily understood that the feature of burying the lever maybeapplied to other forms of strut, and also the feature of locating thegreatest mass of solder at the end of the lever and at a point Where itis so protected'as to be the last to fuse. It will also be understoodthat the invention is not limited to the specific details shownyand thatvarious changes may be made therein, such as the transference of theaperture from the member 18 to the lever 23, so that the strut memberpasses through the lever in place of the lever through the strut member.

Obviously such a change does'not in any way affect the main feature ofthe invention, which is the quick and absolutely certain action of thedevice once a certain temperaturehas been reached, and the removal ofall material which would tend to delay the quick separation of theparts.

So far no mention has been made ofthe method of forming the parts, andit will be understood that these may be either cast, machined, stampedor pressed, or built up of separate pieces, especially in the case ofthe member 19.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 2 7 i 1. In asprinkler, a body, a yoke, a valve, and a strut in compression betweenthe yoke and valve holding the latter, said strut comprising a pair ofmembers one having a groove of varying depth, a bearing surface ontheother member and a holding lever engaging at one end with said bearingsurface and engaging at the opposite end in said groove, and leverholding material of low fusibility filling the groove above the lever.

2. In -a sprinkler, a body, a yoke, a valve, and a strut in compressionbetween the yoke and valve holding the latter, said strut comprisingapair of members of unequal length tapering toward their freeextremities, the shorter of said members having a groove in the edgethereof remote from the other member, said groove varying in depth fromthe free end of the member, a holding lever fulcrumed at the end of saidshorter member, and having the longer arm thereof occupying the membergroove and the shorter arm thereof operatively engaging the projectingend of the longer memher, and fusible material in said groove holdingthe lever. V

8. In a sprinkler, a strut comprising a pair of members, one having agroove of varying depth, a holding lever for said strut pair of members,one of them having a re cess, and a reversely curved holding leveroperatively engaging said members and having one of its ends located atthe bottom of said'recess, and a filling of fusible material in therecess above the extremity of the lever V confining the same in therecess. 7

5. In a sprinkler, a strutcomprising a pair of members, a leverconnectingsaid members, one of said members having a recess for thereception of the lever, and a.

filling of fusible material in said recess hold-- ing the lever, therecess being shaped to 7 hold a greater depth of fusible material at theextremity of the lever than at any other point.

6. In a s rinkler a strut com T181110 a 7 V 2.1 pair of members inpivotal engagement ad acent one end, a connecting lever for the members,a body of readilyrfusible material holding said lever, and a recess inone of the members for thereception of said lever and fusible material,said recess being formed to contain the greatest. mass of fusiblematerial in proximity to the greatest mass of metal in the strut and attheex:

'tremity of the lever, whereby the material at the extremity of thelever will be the last to fuse.

7. Ina sprinkler, a strut comprising a pair of members of unequal lengthin pivotal engagement adjacent one end of the strut, the shorter of saidmembers being grooved on the side remote from'the other member, and thelonger member being apertured in its projecting extremity, and a holdinglever having one arm thereof passing through the aperture of the longermember and operatively engaging the memher and the longer arm thereofseated in the groove of the other member, and a filling of fusiblematerial in said groove holding the lever. r r

8. In a sprinkler, a strut comprising a pair of substantially triangularmembers arranged for pivotal movement at adjacent corners, one of saidmembers being recessed on the edge remote from the other member, aholding lever for said members having one of its arms operativelyengaging with the unrecessed member and the other arm engaging in therecess of said re-' cessed member, and fusible material holding thelever in the recess. p

9. In a sprinkler, a collapsible strut comprising a pair of members, oneof them recessed and the other apertured, a lever holding the strutagainst collapse and located at one end in the recess of the recessedmember, and at the other end passing through and hooking onto theapertured member, and fusible material in the recess holding thelever,'said fusible material engaging the lever through a large part ofits length and being so distributed relatively no to the recessed memberthat the material at the extremity of the lever Will be the last tofuse, whereby the lever Will be held until clear or" fusible materialelsewhere throughout its length.

In Witness whereof, I have hereunto set in hand.

y WILLIAM H. BAKER.

